


Fallen to the sea

by VNVdarkangel



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Character Interpretation, Alternate Universe, Blindness, F/F, Fallen Angels, Fish out of Water, Guilt, Longing, Spiritual, Temporary Amnesia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:47:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 10,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27874814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VNVdarkangel/pseuds/VNVdarkangel
Summary: Watanabe Yō is the yougest ferry captain on the Numazu-Uchiura route. One night she observers a spectacular phenomena in the sky.
Comments: 41
Kudos: 12





	1. Fire in the starry sky

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BigClark](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BigClark/gifts).



The night sky on the Numazu-Uchiura ferry run never offered much in variety apart from the cloud coverage and stars, but to Watanabe Yō, it was as close to a kinship with the sea that she ever felt. The crashing of the waves on the hull of the ferry, the smell of ocean, the quiet tucks of the engine and the rolling on sea; it was all wonderful, it was all perfect.  
At just 22, Yō was one of the youngest ferry captains the city council employed. Having had a kinship with the sea all her life, loving boats and a father who served as a ferry captain had fast-tracked her, not only in terms of family, but also, and most importantly, on skill, knowledge and an _ear_ to the sea. As such, the sky only applied to her when she needed to make navigational decisions, in order to keep herself, the small number of staff during the passenger tours and her boat safe.

So, when she heard a loud _bang_ accompanied by a bright light in the night sky, Watanabe Yō looked to the havens, and what she saw made her say a quiet prayer to the spirits of the sea.

 _Something_ was falling leaving a trail of fire and smoke behind it, drawing a line in the starry sky. But there was something wrong with the line, instead of straight and unchanging, like a trail behind a meteor or burning up space junk, this one was, for lack of a better term, jagged. And watching the ball of light that they originated from, Yō could see why. The object darted around the sky, going left and right, up and down, but defiantly more down. Yō was alone on the ferry and decided that this was something that needed to be reported. She reached for her radio piece.

“This is ferry _Tatsunootoshigo_. Have observed an object in the sky hurtling towards the sea. Will investigate. Watanabe out.”

Yō heard the acknowledgement but was already heading at full speed to where she thought the impact would be. If it were to hit any vessel, she had to render assistance. That was the code. The small ferry dipped and banked as the small engine carried them further from the shore.

When Yō felt she was in a good place, she locked the rudder to circle and stepped out onto the deck. She saw the object coming closer, moving erratically. As it fell further and further from the heavens, Yō suddenly came to the opinion that it was _aiming_ for her boat. The erratic movement had slowed and looking over head, Yō saw it coming towards her. She quickly jumped out of the way, retreating to the railing and the lifeboat. It was coming closer and closer and within a few seconds, it impacted on the deck, knocking Yō off her feet.  
Yō heard a deep _thump_ and the sound of splinters, accompanied by the smell of charred wood. As she got back on her feet, she could really believe what she saw.  
In the middle of a circle of charred wood on the deck knelt… a woman, dressed in her birthday suit. That alone would have been enough for Yō, but as the figure was kneeling down, her fist and feet in contact with the deck, Yō saw what looked like white, feathery wings on the woman back. As she marveled at them, they began to change, like on fire, the feathers _burned_ up the white, leaving only black fathers behind, and of those that went through the transformation, most fell down onto the charred wood. The woman slowly stood up, exposing herself, without shame to Yō.

_Wow, she’s pretty._

Her training kicking in, Yō opened a storage box next to her, grabbed a warm blanket and opening it approached the woman.

“Are you hurt? Is there anything…” Yō stopped speaking for the gaze of the dark blue haired woman met hers. The eyes were… _gleaming._ She took another step towards the woman, her mouth slightly open.

“ _Human!”_ said an unearthly voice.

Yō stopped moving, only to see the woman walking up to her with an outstretched arm, she felt a hand on the back of her neck, she couldn’t move.  
Too quick for Yō to counter, the woman applied pressure with her hand, forcing Yō forward, where the woman caught her lips. A warm feeling invaded Yō’s mouth as the woman greedily dove her tongue into the opening and Yō, more on instinct than conscious thought, had her tongue meet the intruder as they danced around each other, no place in Yō’s mouth too unimportant not to get visited. As their lips parted, Yō’s vision became dark and she lost consciousness.


	2. Banishment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She has a dream of what came before.

_“Banishment!” said a voice.  
“Banishment!” said another.  
“Banishment!” said a third._

_“It is decided!” said the first voice, his halo shining ever so brighter, “for your crimes you are to be banished from the heavens!”  
“I care not for your petty court. It is a mockery of justice. You all” she pointed a finger at the gathered group, “are afraid to take your place next to them, to let them guide you instead of you them.”_

_She laughed._

_“You insult me.”_

_The roar bore a voice: “ENOUGH! You will respect your superiors, and the letter of the law!”  
“Not as long as the law is absolute and wrong.”_

_A sigh spread amongst them._

_“I wish you would have seen reason.” The second voice said, “It makes this so much harder.”  
“Don’t hide behind the law, father. You know I’m right. I have always been right.”  
Full of anger, the second voice said: “You will never be able to return. You will be Fallen for eternity.”  
“Be gone!” said the third voice and she was no longer surrounded by the court._

_She was falling._

_Easily remedied, she thought, and spread her angelic wings to soar near the gates. But the moment she opened them to feel the win carry her, the guardians began to attack as if she was a foreigner, ney, worse: like she was the ancient enemy.  
They slashed at her wings, nearly missing._

_“Hey, I need those!” she shouted.  
“Unclean. Heretic. Fallen. Begone!” they shouted, continuing to press the attack. She bucked this was and that, trying to shake them off. _

_The ground, that is my haven, they will not follow there, she thought and turned to face the surface beneath. It was all blue. She knew what this was, water. It was everywhere and the being in it, spoke no common language and most importantly, didn’t look like her, so they were not in her image. She needed land. As she dove, while avoiding the attacks of the guardians, she saw a small dot of a different colour, moving coming closer. She adjusted her vision and saw a young human, a female probably looking up at her. Humans could only be on land, so this was a floating land._

_She pushed off, her wings granting her extra speed as she dropped. Suddenly she felt the pain of a thousand stings in her wings, she didn’t know what it meant, but the pain was terrible. Struggling to feel her wings and command them, she saw the small dot coming closer and closer. Closer and closer. The guardians stopped their assault, the pain in her wings got worse, and she was almost at the portable land._

_With a great measure of will power, she managed to make her wings lift her just as she was about to impact on the land, but she had still so much speed that she landed in a hunched position, her fist striking down to counter the impact. As she landed, the air, heated to incredible temperatures, splintered and charred, but stayed solid underneath her. She felt her wings, change, agony accompanying them, when she opened her eyes, she saw a massive number of feathers on the ground, black ones and the legs of a lone female figure standing a distance away. She slowly stood up from her hunched position and looked at the woman who was coming towards her with something that looked like a rug._

_She would see the woman’s mouth move but didn’t understand what was coming out of it. Then she stopped. Her mouth left open._

_She pointed at the woman and spoke the only word she knew: Human! And stepped closer, not letting the woman lose sight of her._

_Humans communicated with their mouths she had learned in her many trips and this was offering her mouth to her for exchange of knowledge. She accepted and began mapping the inside of the mouth, the woman’s own tongue joining in the exchange of knowledge. She could now speak and understand the language when spoken. She offered what she could, knowledge of those of her kind._

_When their mouths separated, the exchange concluded, she felt herself getting light and everything went dark._

A scream of panic echoed through the small room. She was sitting upright in something she thought she remembered was called a bath, a heavy rug on top of her. It felt warm. Around her, items she could not identify were lined up, all containing significant spiritual power.  
She then became aware of two eyes regarding her from the other side of the room. The owner, a woman, stood up, her white top and red lower portion. Her eyes, the colour of deep emerald, shone with energy, much like her own and the purple hair, tied in a long tail give her a hair of dignity.

The woman knelt on the floor and said: “Welcome Kami-sama. You are here in my lodgings recovering from your injuries. I am called Nozomi.”


	3. Name?

A maelstrom of thought.

_There is something you must know._

_Angels are real. The heavens are real. But not like you know. We meddle and argue, we’re no better than you. We just have more power. We need your guidance. We need your help to continue. To break the cycle. I am Fallen. I have given you all the knowledge of my kind. Use it wisely. Use it well. Find me._

_Please!_

Yō opened her eyes. Her hand was touching her lips as the gleam in her blue eyes faded. She still tasted… something.

* * *

“I remember… falling… then… pain… _pain_ … my wings.”

She willed them into existence, looking over her shoulder to see a sparsely feathered wing with feathers black as night. The few feathers that were hung in mid-air, suspended by an unseen structure. They would not fly.

“My wings… they… they are…” she stammered.  
“Mostly gone, yes Kami-sama.” Nozomi said raising her head., eyes still closed.  
“My… wings….” The woman whimpered.

She suddenly jumped out of the bed, the blanket that had been covering her, dropped to the floor.

“The Human… the… woman? The one that gave me the gift of your language… the one with the floating land… where is she? Is she well?” she asked, frantic.  
“You must be speaking of Watanabe-Senchō. I believe she’s fine. Whatever you did to her knocked her out. When they brought the _floating land_ to the dock she was carried off on a stretcher, but the men did not sound sad or rushed. And I could see a strong aura from her.”  
“Good... good… wait… how… how can you see me? I’m not of this world. I should be invisible from your senses… how… how can we even speak to each other.?”

The woman called Nozomi opened her eyes to her, they were white.

“I cannot see you as a human would. I see your _qi_ , your energy as it were. That is how I know what you are and how I know about your wings.” She inhaled, “That is also how I was able to see you on the deck of the ship, what you call the _floating land_ , and bring you here, to heal you.”

Nozomi closed her eyes again and bowed.

“I am a healer. I could heal your most immediate wounds, but alas, there is nothing I can do about your wings. A power greater than my own denies me to heal them. That is all I know.”  
“My father…” the woman muttered, “only he could… wait… this wantabesencho, where can I find her?”  
“Watanabe-Senchō, Kami-sama. I think she’s in the hospital.”  
“Hospital... hospital... hospice? A _hospice?_ But you said she appeared fine?”  
“Calm yourself, Kami-sama. A _hospital_ is not a hospice. A hospital treats the ones hurt with worldly afflictions back to health.”  
“Ahh... I knew that… Bring me to her!”  
“I’m afraid that might prove a little difficult.”  
“How so?”  
“As I explained, I can only see Kami-sama, because I am like this.”, she opened her eyes again, “But that also means that I cannot see in the human world like you can. I am unable to lead you and if you were to lead me in the way you are now, I would be stopped since it is known that I do not have human sight. Can you become _real_ in the human world?”  
“I… think I can.”

She focused, casting a voiceless incantation. Nozomi saw the energies shift, a swirl forming around her guest until it all coalesced into a human form. She saw it looking around, feeling her body… and letting out a shriek.

“My armour, my clothing… I’m… I’m… naked!” she shuddered, “And it’s cold.”  
“Here, wear these.” Nozomi pointed to a pile on a chair, “They will allow you to dress like myself.”  
“O—ok. I will do so, avert your gaze.”  
“I cannot _see_ , Kami-sama. Do you have a name I may use? Calling you _Kami-sama_ in public would not be wise.”  
“Of course, my name is… is… My name… name…” she gasped, “I… I don’t remember!”


	4. Yo-ha-ne

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where is the other woman asks Yō and the fallen gets a name.

“How is the other woman doing?” Yō asked as the nurse was checking her vitals.  
“Other woman?” the nurse asked.  
“Yes. With me on the boat?”  
“You were the only one brought in as far as I know. I’ll ask the resident.”

After she’d been given a clean bill of health, Yō began to wonder if she had imagined what had happened on the boat. Her hand sub-consciously touched her lips again.   
No, it had been real. The woman that had fallen from the sky had French-kissed her, forcefully to be sure, but Yō could have escaped any time but it had felt good. Very good. Yō hoped she was ok and that she would have the possibility to talk to her, to know her name, maybe meet up for coffee, walk along the beach in the evening, watching the sunset, then… maybe take her out in the boat and in absolute privacy spend a night of passion with her.

She buried her head in her hands, the cheeks and face a red glare.

_Yō… what the... get your mind out of the gutter… she was probably a foreigner and they have strange traditions and greeting… it was probably nothing special to her… but wow it felt… nice…_

The nurse knocked and entered again.

“I’m sorry, but there are no records of anyone else on the ferry with you. Are you certain there was someone else?”

Yō thought for a moment, she distinctly remembered someone, a woman, kissing her. It wasn’t the kind of thing you’d make up or forget.

“I…” she hesitated, maybe she had imagined it. Falling from the sky, gleaming eyes… that wasn’t normal. But then again… that kiss…  
“Never mind… must be my head playing tricks on me.” Yō sheepishly scratched the back of her head.  
“We all deal with trauma differently. Don’t worry about it.” the nurse smiled, “I’ll get the doctor to give you a final run-through, then you’re free to leave.”  
“Thanks.”

The nurse left.

_And what was this dream about?_

* * *

The woman walked up and down the small room.

“Why...? Why can’t I remember?” she huffed, “Why do I remember it all, but not that?”

Nozomi saw the woman flare in many different colours, her mood made manifest to her.

“Kami-sama. May I suggest that you take another name until you remember? Maybe your name was linked to your wings and you don’t remember because they need healing?”  
“But my name is… it is… it’s me. There is no one else with it, it is an intrinsic part of who I am. Without it I’m just a common lowly hum… ehh… I’m sorry. That was said unkindly. I am now like you. I… I don’t deserve my real name.”

She stopped, looking into Nozomi’s white eyes.

“Please give me one.”

Nozomi thought for a bit.

“How about _Yohane_?”  
“What does it mean?”  
“It does, in fact, not mean anything.”  
“A name always carries meaning be it incorrect or correct to the individual.”  
“I our language _Yohane_ is written in characters that carry no meaning. But the name has ancestry. It is the female form of the name of a holy man”, The woman winced at the phrase, “Are you alright Kami-sama? What happened?”  
“I… I don’t know.” She said, holding her head, “suddenly there was this flash of pain.”  
“Do you know why?”  
“No idea, please continue your tale.”  
“Anyway it’s the name of a holy man” she winced again, “There it was again.”  
“Continue!”  
“Eh… from one of the other religions. It is quite a popular girl’s name.”  
“Then I shall use it. _Yohane._ Yohane. Yō-ha-ne. Yō-hane. Yoha- _NE_.”

Nozomi stood up and walked over to the door.

“Shall we go then? Yohane?”  
“But… Yohane does not know the way.” Yohane said, feeling out of place.  
“I will ask. You just have to hold on to me as if you are leading me. Do not be afraid.”  
“I... I am not.”  
“I can see your qi, remember?”

Yohane stomped her foot in the ground.

“This is all so new and I… am not used to crowds.”  
“It will be fine. If anyone asks about anything, just look at me and I will answer.”  
“O~ok.”

Nozomi opened the door.

“Shall we?”  
  



	5. The dark mistress Yohane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yohane gets found out and Yō leaves the hospital to unexpected free time.

“Would you mind if we take a small break in that park over there?” Nozomi asked.  
“If you are faint, why did you not allow that man to offer us transport?” Yohane asked.  
“Because his intentions were not pure.”  
“How did… ohh of course.”

Yohane did her best to uphold the illusion that she was leading Nozomi, but sometimes she slipped and Nozomi was the one to help her up. Now Nozomi was pulling her along to the park and she did her best to keep up.

“I haven’t been here in a while” Nozomi said as they sat down on a bench, “I remember it being quite beautiful this time of year.”  
“It is quite pleasant. Though I am a bit worried about the small humans that are running around. They are children, correct?”  
“They are. Don’t worry about them, they are good natured.”  
“You stated that you remembered this place? Did you not always have the sight?”

Nozomi blushed a little and moved her unseeing gaze to the ground.

“I once had normal sight. I visited this park when I was younger and I…” her voice trailed off, “But we’ve lingered here too long. We should proceed.” She stood up. Yohane followed suit.

Leaving the park, one of the children ran into Yohane’s back, almost toppling her. Her temper flared up, she turned around, fixating her eyes on the child:

“Who do you think you are, _mortal_ , just running into the messangers from above?” she winced, moving her hand to shield her eye, her fingers cramping into a V-sign.

The child looked at her with wide eyes.

“Wow! You’ve got some real cool eyes lady. Violet. Cool. Hey!” he called to the other children who gathered around, “Look. Cool right, and she speaks like a demon princess.”  
“I am no such thing. I’m a messenger from the heav… _ahhrgh_!” she gasped in pain again.  
“Only a true demon princess would get in pain from mentioning heaven.” One kid said.  
“Ohhh!” the gathered kids intoned.

Nozomi pulled on Yohane’s sleeve.

“I suggest you play on this. It could prove useful.”

Yohane thought for a moment, then turned to face the group.

“So, you have found me: the dark mistress Yohane, the fallen. And you” she swept her finger over the group, “will serve me as my little demons, doing my bidding in this world.”

A collective _whiii_ escaped the group.

“You’re the coolest. Sorry for bumping into, dark mistress.” Said the boy that had run into her and bowed.  
“The mighty Yohane forgives you. Now go play and behave or the dark nether will have you.” Yohane smiled.  
“Yeeeey!” said the group and ran back to the playground in the park, occasionally turning around and waving at her.  
“You handled that rather well. They were initially afraid, but now they are happy.”  
“They are innocent still, no corruption has taken hold yet.” Yohane cocked her head, “Will you tell me your story sometime? I would be interested to hear it.”  
“It is nothing _Kami-sama_ should worry about. Just the foolishness of youth.”

Yohane made a mental note to probe more, there was something deeper here. And she wanted to know.

* * *

Yō was putting her uniform back on, when she heard a knock on the door to her room.

“Come in.”

A woman with intense red hair and violet eyes came in. She was wearing a doctor’s coat. The nameplate on her coat read: _Kurosawa M. Dr Med._

“Excuse me, but what are you doing?”  
“Getting dressed.” Yō replied.  
“In… that?”  
“Well, I was on duty when ended up here.”  
“Ahh, I see.”

An uneasy silence began.

“Is there anything I can do for you, sensei?”  
“Yes. I’ll just be doing a final run-through of your vitals, then you are free to go.”

Yō sat down on the bed.

“Excellent. Please.” She held out her arms.

A few minutes, a few inhales, exhales, coughs, eye and reflex tests later, Yō was ready to go.

“By the way, there was no one else on the boat when you were tugged back to shore after the coast guard boarded. Do you have reason to believe there was someone?”  
“I…” Yō absentmindedly touched her lip again, “It probably my mind playing tricks on me. It’s probably nothing.”  
“I could give you a brain scan if you…” Dr Nishikino began.  
“Never mind, I’m sure it’s fine.” Yō quickly replied. She just wanted to leave.  
“In that case, you’re free to go. Please sign out at the reception before you leave, it makes our lives easier when all the paperwork is in place.”  
“Sure thing. And thank you.”  
“It’s what we do. Take care now.”

Dutifully, Yō signed out at the reception, exchanged some pleasantries and walked out the big hospital doors. Feeling the outside air, she took a deep breath.  
First things first though, Yō powered on her phone and dialled the number of her boss.

“Watanabe! Good to hear from you, are you all right?”  
“Yes, sir. I just got out of the hospital. Sir, about the deck…”  
“Never mind that, I know you’re good enough so that you don’t get things damaged through negligence. Do you have any idea what happened?”

Should she talk about the woman? But would he believe her?

“I really don’t know. I trailed something that was falling from the sky to the sea, but somehow it changed course and impacted on the deck, probably knocked me out cold.”  
“I don’t think anything was found, but you never know: the government might be testing something they don’t want us to know about.”

_Conspiracies? Really?_

“Should we be talking about this on the phone then?” she joked.  
“Of course not. It was probably nothing. You hear? _NOTHING!_ ” a good-natured laughter followed, “Anyway Watanabe, I’ve giving you a week days of vacation so you recover fully.”  
“But boss…”  
“You have enough vacation days saved so you could sail around the world, so take it. Clear Senchō?”  
“Yousoro!”  
“Good to hear. See you in a week.”

She ended the call. So, she had vacation. A week of it, she hadn’t had that much free time since high school. She spent every moment she could on her beloved sea, either swimming and diving or on a boat.  
What now?


	6. The fire from the sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yō visits a shrine and a temple and Nozomi and Yohane visit a hospital.

Yō stepped through the big gate with a sense of familiarity. Admittedly, she hadn’t visited a temple or a shrine for years, even with her being on the sea, instead she tended to speak a small prayer every time she lifted anchor, asking for a safe trip for her and her passengers. Her father did so, and so did she.  
But actually visiting a temple on land, that was years ago. Despite this, the motions were familiar, practiced and not to be ignored.

Yō purchased a bundle of incense and lit it on the burner. She waved her hand over the sticks after they’d begun to flame to extinguish them and placed them, letting them smoke rise to the sky.

_I know it was real, that she is real. Please guide me to find her._

“Yō-chan?” said a friendly voice behind her when she opened her eyes again.

Yō turned around and was met by the smiling face of a white haired man in a simple black work grab. Yō bowed respectfully.

“Kunikida-sama, such a pleasure to see you again.”  
“Drop the _sama_ , Yō-chan. My grand-daughters wonderful senpai will always be a friend to us.”  
“You give me too much credit, Hanamaru-chan always supported me, a kindness I gladly repayed many times over. How is she?”  
“Busy, busy. If it is not an eating contest, it is another novel or an article for a magazine. I’m still amazed, zura, at the amount she can eat but not gain girth. The Buddha and kami alike smile on her.”  
“Does she still say that?”  
“Huh? What?”  
“ _Zura_.”

The old man laughed heartily.

“Indeed, she does… and she’s still embarrassed about it. Bless that girl.” He smiled, “But what brings you here? Shall I get one of the monks to talk to you?”  
“No that’s not… “ Yō’s voice trailed off.”  
“Yō-chan, indulge an old man. You can always talk to me. I might not be young and modern, but I’ve been here at the temple almost all my life. You pick up a few things.” The friendly smile tried to comfort.

Yō walked over to the old man.

“Could we talk a bit away from the others. It’s kinda personal.”  
“Certainly. Let’s go into the gardens, the bloom is very soothing.”  
“Thank you.” Yō bowed again.  
“Stop that.” Another laughter, “Will you lead an old man?”  
“I know you are probably fitter than me, but I’ll gladly lend you my arm.”

They walked towards the gardens.

* * *

Yō told her story, leaving out the more graphic details and the dream. She wasn’t shy, she just wanted to keep the details of the kiss to herself. They were precious, not something to flaunted. Kunikida Oji-san listened patiently as they slowly stepped through the gardens, asking the occasional detail.  
After she had finished, he steered them towards a bench and sat down. He tapped the space next to him for Yō to sit down. Looking out over the garden he said:

“For what it’s worth, I think you experienced everything you told me, and what you didn’t tell me too.” He nudged her in the side, “It all happened. It reminds be a bit of something that happened… oh, what was it now? Six, seven years ago? Maybe more. You and Hanamaru were still in school then.

Hotaru-san, the caretaker at the shrine, told me something similar, of something that fell to the sky much like a meteor, but it seemed to aim itself. It went straight into one of the buildings, trashing the roof. Took them weeks to rebuild it. Anyway, he and the others ran to the building for a shrine maiden lived there. When they arrived, they couldn’t at first get in, a pressure wave or something and it was inhumanly bright. Then it just disappeared, leaving the poor shrine maiden mostly unhurt. She’d lost her vision though.“  
“But I see just fine.”  
“I’m just retelling what he told me. My point is that believe you. That there was someone else there with you, but that maybe, they just couldn’t see her.”  
“Huh?”  
“Maybe you should visit the shrine? Ask for Hotaru-san. He might have some answers I don’t.”

* * *

“Ohh, I remember that night… scary stuff never leaves you.” Hotaru-san, the caretaker of the shrine, said after Yō had asked him about the incident Kunikida Oji-san had told her about.  
“Could you tell me what happened?”  
“I’m sure Satoshi remembers all the details I told him then. Good memory on him. Anyway… like he probably told you, _something_ fell out of the sky, moving about until it settled and hit one of the small houses the shrine maidens live in. Poor little one, she was about to graduate to being a priestess, you know?”  
“But Kunikida-sama said she survived?”  
“Haha, don’t let him catch you calling him _sama_ , he’s not one for that sort of thing. She did, but whatever happened scarred her for life. And worst of all, we all saw it happen and for some reason we couldn’t get in the house, it was like there was another invisible door that kept us out.

I think I saw her leave earlier, another shrine maiden, probably a new one, never seen her before, was guiding her…. Though it looked more like it was the other way round.

Oh, and every year on that day a large donation arrives, addressed specifically to her.”

_I need to talk to her._

”What… what happened to her?”  
“Her eyes; she’s blind. “

* * *

“Are you next-of-kin?” a mildly annoyed Kurosawa sensei asked the two shrine maidens that had asked at the reception of the hospital for Watanabe-Senchō.  
“If I told you yes, would you believe us?” Nozomi asked.  
“Frankly no.”  
“We are wasting our time with the mortal.” Yohane whispered to Nozomi, “We should smite her if she interferes.”  
“And this _mortal_ has very good hearing!” a stare that could kill giants hit Yohane, who recoiled, throwing up her arms for protection.  
“You must forgive my charge, she’s still acclimatizing.” , Nozomi quickly put her hand on Yohane’s mouth, “But we would very much like to speak with her about her accident.”  
“Even if I would let you see her, provided she’d accept your visit, you’re too late.”  
“What? You already killed her? But I thought this was not a hospice? She wasn’t that unwell.” Yohane cried out, Nozomi unable to contain her.  
“What are you talking about? Kill her? Are you out of your mind? I did her final check earlier today and she left about an hour ago. And before you ask, I cannot give you her address.”  
“That won’t be necessary. Thank you for your time. We will be leaving. Please excuse us.”, Nozomi bowed, and getting a grip on Yohane’s head pushed it into a deeper bow.

Nozomi pulled Yohane out of the hospital with her.


	7. A day in a 'life'

Every day for the past years began the same way, she woke up in bed, alone, looking at the same picture. It didn’t matter how she placed the futon in the empty room, it was always the first thing she saw. A picture of a memory, and of a possible future that had never come, that might at this point be impossible.

She was smiling in the picture, during her day she smiled too, but she never smiled. A thin line who’s ends pointed downwards, but she always smiled.

Like all days, a small window of time to look representable gave way to walking, but she wasn’t awake. Her mind still hanging onto a dream, the only thing that kept her alive. Walking the same steps as always, she opened the backdoor to the restaurant and slipped unseen into the women’s changing room. A quick change to her work uniform and she was out, walking in measured steps to the counter. She greeted everyone with the same energy. She was kind, well liked, respected and hard working. Her name tag always perfect, the kanji-strokes immaculate. There was no customer she couldn’t handle, no emergency she couldn’t mitigate. She worked hard, the manager promoted her, she worked harder, the manager promoted her again until she was asked to take over. She accepted. She smiled but didn’t smile. Everything stayed the same, nothing really changed. She still had the same destinations, the same journey.

When evening closed in and her shift ended her steps carried her to her next destination. Again, a backdoor, again a women’s changing room. This time her uniform was loose fitting and functional, allowing her movement.

She instructed, she led, the others followed. She had rhythm, grace and elegance like no other. She smiled but didn’t smile. Her pupils idolized her; the manager praised her, said her skills were Olympian. It was hard work, a will to be more deserving. But it payed well.

The streetlight lit her way home, convenience store lights allowed her to move her means to other accounts, away from where she was, to somewhere where they were needed more. Maybe it was guilt? Maybe it was penance? She couldn’t remember. But she also knew that whatever she sent was never accepted. Instead of the beneficiary, she received notes of thanks from others that were in need instead. The notes made her sad, but not for that others had received charity, but that the person she had sent it to, didn’t acknowledge her.

When she walked up the rickety steps to her small apartment, night was already falling around her. Dinner and company a far-away dream that only hurt to think about. She opened the door to her home, a small apartment with one small room cast in darkness, the only thing visible through the light of the window was the futon on the floor, neatly folded by her the same morning. She stepped out of her shoes, her silent steps carrying her to the bathroom for her only moment of relaxation. The bathwater running out again, she stepped into the cold room, unfolded the futon and sat down on the only furnishing in the room, an old wooden chair, and lent forward, resting her head on her hands, staring out into the night.

The lights of the shrine were always so beautiful at night, a beacon welcoming those who sought this moment to ask the spirits and gods for signs and guidance. The lights from the small houses where the maidens of the shrine lived were all but extinguished. There was always light in one, but it never bothered the occupant.

Her glance swept over her hands to a half-empty pack of thin cigarettes a customer had given her after she’d asked for one. If she had a vice it was this and the clear liquid in the bottle of Cyrillic lettering. Thankfully, instances of their use were far and few, the bottle almost full to the neck and the pack missing almost no contents since it had been given.

She blinked away a tear as she stepped away from the window, saying a silent good night into the wind and slipped into the futon. She looked at the picture, the only real possession she had and softly touched the figure in it and put it gently down on the floor by the futon and turned away. It would be the first thing she saw when she woke up. A picture of her and the person she loved, taken many years ago, when her smile was real, and the green eyes of her love looked into the camera and said:

“I love you, Elichi.”


	8. Nighttime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As night descends on Namazu, several eyes loook ot the night sky.

Arriving back at the shrine after their fruitless trek to the hospital, they learned of ferry captain’s visit and that the caretaker of the nearby temple knew the woman personally. Despite Yohane’s protests, it was divided that they would go next morning, since the trip had taken most of the remaining day.

When they were alone, Nozomi asked:  
“Are you satisfied with sleeping in my room, Kami-sama?”  
“I don’t require sleep. I’m an ang.. _augh_ ” Yohane winced again, “I’m not a being that requires it.”  
“You should in that case at least pretend, suspicions might grow if you are seen awake at all hours.” Nozomi clarified.  
“I understand. I will endeavour to do my best.”  
“I will let you take the bed, Kami-sama. I’ll have a futon brought so I can sleep on the floor.”  
“Won’t that be detrimental? Humans are quite frail it seems.”  
“They are. But I have hardened myself so to me it is nothing unusual. You will find that the bed is quite hard too, You jumped out from it this morning before you were able to realize.”  
“I see. I thank you. You will be rewarded… when… I can actually do that.”  
“Your thanks are enough, Kami-sama.” Nozomi bowed.

The futon was delivered, Nozomi’s hands unfolded it and instructing Yohane to turn off the light and lie down, she disrobed and slipped under the heavy cover. Listening to Yohane’s breathing and seeing her energy, Nozomi soon noticed that the fallen was sleeping, so much for not needing sleep. She turned away from the bed and opened her eyelids, that she usually kept shut. Had anyone been able to see it, a faint glow of green was visible until she closed her eyes again and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Yō looked out over Numazu’s city line blotting out parts of the night sky, leaning on the railing of her balcony. It reminded her of her old home when she’d been a teenager, a time that felt quite far removed. Living in the city and not on the outskirts certainly gave more options for activities, but mostly it got her closer to the sea.

Her hand moved to her lip again. What was it that made her touch it again and again and that held a _taste_ of something in her mind? After speaking with the caretaker of the shrine, she had decided to see the blind shrine maiden, but she was away with a new charge so Yō had left, and by way of a family restaurant, gone home.

 _She was real, I’m not just imagining things, right? She was…_ Yō blushed at the memory … _naked and looked… so perfect. And the kiss…_ she again touched her lips _it was real, and what a kiss. It was so… strong, but gentle. And it felt great._

_I have to find her again, maybe the shrine maiden will know._

Yō saluted the night, took a gulp of the rum infused cocoa from her mug and went back inside. The morning couldn’t come soon enough, and she wanted to be rested.

* * *

_“Why do you keep doing this? We are not to interfere in the affairs of mortals without an offering, and then only in minor ways!”  
“And what is it I hear now? You endeavour to bring one to our plane? While still life courses through its veins?”  
“She is your charge. You have to enact discipline, to set an example.”  
“I will do no such thing. Her influence brings more to the shrine.”  
“You only care about your numbers. What about traditions?”_

_The disembodied voices came from everywhere, the accusers outnumbering the defenders._

_“I…”_

_“SILENCE! We will determine your fate. All your actions are known, there is nothing to explain. Wait outside to be judged.”_

_She was led out of the chamber. Outside, her master, conspiratorially called over another._

_“I ask of you to hide her. Shield her. Her actions are not evil or a danger. But I need time to set things right.”  
“It will be done.” was the answer._

_An enchantment was placed on her, she became invisible, shielded. A simple cabin was now her home, it was safe, it was invisible._

_She heard the crash before the light forced her eyes shut._

_“KNOW YOUR PLACE!” the unearthly voice shouted in her head. She was thrown across the room and pinned against a wall. The light became more powerful, her eyes burned, the light slowly went out. The pain was intense. It felt like part of her was on fire. She felt the heat and forced her eyes open. Blackness. She opened her eyes again. She saw fuzzy shapes by her door, but she didn’t see them, she saw their auras. She didn’t see them. Her cry, filled with anguish and pain, filled the night. She collapsed onto the floor and rolled up into a ball and cried._

Yohane screamed and jumped out of the bed, frantic breathing accompanying her mad hammering on the light switch. The light came on. Nozomi was sitting upright, her black eyes looking in her direction.

“Kami-sama. Are you alight? What happened?”  
“I… I… I… can see.”


	9. Hit by a truck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yō saves a blonde.

The night gave way to morning and before the first rays of sunshine hit Yō’s bed it was already empty. Her dreams had felt… real, but at the same time she had felt like an onlooker, stealing a glance through a slit in an open window. Waking up, drenched in sweat, she had gotten up, put her running gear on and left her flat.

With the wind streaking through her hair and the rhythmic thumps of her feet hitting the asphalt she felt the tension of her dreams leaving her. But the images were hard to shake. Blinding light, angry voices and then blackness. It felt disconnected yet still present, she did her best to push it out of her mind as she ran along the shoreline, the sea air filling her lungs.

It was still too early to visit the shrine to talk to the blind shrine maiden, so she turned in towards the city taking a new path home through the side streets avoiding the crowds.

Approaching a corner she saw a tall blond walking towards the intersection, her gate suggesting that she wasn’t fully awake yet. In her mind’s eye, Yō saw a truck approaching the same intersection, reversing at high speed, probably late for a delivery. The blonde didn’t seem to notice. Yō increased her speed to a fast sprint, shouting.

“Hey, look out!”

No reaction. The distance closing, she managed to jostle the blonde in the the wall, stopping her momentum. Yō managed to lift her arms before the impacted with the side of the bed of the truck as it shot out from the blind corner. The imparted impulse spun Yō around facing the street where she fell to the ground, her head narrowly missing the ground. She felt dizzy, her vision blurred, she saw something blonde come closer filling her frame, then a familiar blackness filled her mind.

* * *

Her next visual queue where two intense green eyes looking at her while shining a cell phone light into her eyes. She squinted.

“Good. You don’t seem to be too injured. Do you know your name?”

Her throat felt like sandpaper.

“Watanabe Yō”  
“Do you know where you are?”

Yō turned her head, she saw a street, a white k-type truck and several people, none that looked familiar. But the smell was.

“Somewhere I Numazu. Smells like it. I.. I think I was on my way home.”  
“You pushed me out of the way of the truck would have hit me.” Said a new voice who’s face she couldn’t see.  
“Can you move?”

She tried to move her legs and arms. They protested but responded.

“I think so. All parts attached; I think.” she tried to sound cheerful.  
“You should still go and see my mother.” The green-eyed woman, now that Yō’s vision began to make sense again, she saw the black hair with mirrored triangular clips. But why her mother?  
“Your mother?”  
“Yes. She works at the hospital.”  
“That won’t be necessary. Really. I just got out yesterday and I just need rest is all.” She tried to sound confident.  
“Just in case there is something I can’t see from the outside. Here.” She gave Yō a piece of paper, Yō put it in her trouser pocket.

Standing up wearily she saw the scene a bit clearer. A man, probably the driver, was exchanging words with a police officer and a tall blonde stood, expression worried close to them.

“Are you alright?” asked the blonde.  
“I... think so.” Her body hurt, but she wasn’t going to tell her that.

The blonde bowed.

“I’m very sorry you got hurt. Please allow me to treat you to breakfast if you have not yet eaten at least.”  
“I’m fine I… “ Yō stopped, seeing the sadness in the blue eyes, “Ok, if you insist. But only if you join me. I’d like to talk, maybe I can help.”  
“Help?”  
“Let’s save the subject.”  
“Miss…?” Yō asked the green-eyed woman.  
“Kurosawa.”  
“Kurosawa. As you can see, I’m quite genki so I thank you for your concern. But I don’t think I’ll need the hospital… wait… Kurosawa… I met a doctor with that name.”  
“My mother.”  
“But you… never mind. Thank you again.” Looking at the blonde, “I haven’t eaten but I’ve been on a run, I don’t want to be an in convenience…”  
“Trust me, you way better than some of my customers.”

_Ehh? What does that mean?_

* * *

A short walk later and, to her surprise, Yō sat at a table at a nearby family restaurant. The blonde, whose name was Ayase, seemed to work here judging by the way she commandeered the staff and not five minutes later, the first pieces of a classic breakfast were in front of her. The restaurant wasn’t officially open yet, so she was alone in the vast space, counting out the staff. Ayase picked up some more dishes as they became available from the kitchen and sat down opposite.

“I hope this is satisfactory.” She said.

_Satisfactory? I make sure to eat what I need, but this… nothing short of a feast._

“Don’t worry. This is way over the top. A drink or just a thanks would have been fine, really.” Yō said smiling.  
“I… I just feel so bad you got hurt on my account, This” she gestured at the food,, “is sadly all I can provide.”  
“It’s more than enough, really.” Yō insisted, “Didn’t you get any sleep last night?”  
“Excuse me?”  
“You didn’t see the truck and you were walking kinda unsteady.”  
“Ohh…” Ayase looked away, “I don’t sleep well. Too much on my mind.”

Yō looked at the blonde. Good body, fit. Maybe she was competing? What had she always done before a diving tournament? Ahh right.

“When I was competing, I went to the shrine to calm and collect myself. You should try that. If something troubles you, I always found the shrine maidens nice to talk to.”

Ayase looked as if Yō had asked her to drink poison.

“I… I can’t do that.”  
“It’s no big deal. I’ll go with you if you if you want.”

Ayase stood up rapidly.

“I.. .I’m sorry… I can’t… She won’t… “, she straightened herself, “Please enjoy your meal. Please use the front door when you leave.” And she walked away.

 _What did I say?_ Yō wondered, finished the food quickly and leaving quietly, trying to duck out without getting in view of Ayase. She would have to speak to her again and apologize.


	10. Pay?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yohane feels a curious sensation and learns that life is not free.

The morning breeze blew gently across the window of Nozomi’s little dwelling. Yohane opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling. The _dream_ or whatever it might have been, had left her utterly drained, So she had fallen asleep.

_I’m losing my powers; I should not have to rest like they do and now… there is something else._

A quick glance from the bed to the futon told her that Nozomi was still sleeping. What should she do? There was this feeling in her midsection that she tried to understand. It felt like… _emptiness_. Like a void had opened up inside her and then there were these noises coming from her body. She quietly stepped over Nozomi, put on the clothes she’d worn and as silently as she could, opened the door and steeled her way outside. She shut the door as silently as she had opened it.

The outside greeted her with sunshine and the same breeze she had felt inside. Very few mortals were around, probably to show their respects at the shrine. An older man Nozomi had pointed out the previous day was sweeping a path. Nozomi had said that he held many wisdoms, so maybe he could explain what was going on.

Yohane made her way to him.

“Excuse me human, but can you assist me?” she asked.  
Turning around to face her he asked with a curious expression: “What did you just call me?”  
“I called you _human_. I assume you are one, yes?”  
“Well, yes.” He scratched his head, “but I’ve never been called on by usage of _human_ before.”  
“How should I address you then?”  
“Hotaru or caretaker works fine, I guess?”  
“I’ve never encountered a _Hotaru_ before. Interesting. But that is beside the point, I have a query. In my midsection “she pointed, “I can fell as though a void has opened and there are noises.”  
“Wait, what?” the old man scratched his beard, then smiled, “You’re the new one right? The one Nozomi-chan has taken under her wing?”  
“ _Under her wing_??? If I had mine I…” Yohane suddenly fell silent.

_I should not expose myself to others, an observing third party might lie in ambush…_

“Ehhm” she began again, “That… is right. My memory is a bit hazy, so I hope you’ll show me leniency.”  
“Well, that’s ok, would you say that you feel weak?”  
“I do. Like the energy of the… ehh.. like it’s used up.”  
“Then you are probably hungry.” He smiled.  
“Hungry?”  
“Yes, it is about breakfast time anyway. Nozomi-chan doesn’t rise until later, so she’s probably still sleeping. There is a nice restaurant that has a very good breakfast not far up the street.”

_He is too accommodating... is he a heavenly assassin sent to finish me?_

“How do I reach this _restautant_?”

A few minutes later, Yohane walked out of the grounds holding a rudimentary map that the caretaker had drawn up for her.

 _Come to think of it, I hope Nozomi-chan gave her some money_.

* * *

With the help of the map, Yohane quickly found this _restautant_. Odd name for it, why not call it what it was, a tavern? She looked at the transparent wall that kept her outside, looking for a door or something with a handle. Inside she saw two people approaching the wall, heading straight for it. Didn’t they see it? They would hurt themselves colliding with it.

But as they got closer, the walls parted in front of them. Yohane saw her chance and rushed towards them, maybe she could slip inside while the walls were parted? She attracted some curious looks from the people exiting, but found herself inside, the smell of food instantly triggering her midsection to emit a loud growl.

“Welcome. Table for one?” a tall blonde asked her who seemed to have expected her.  
“Yes, only I, Yohane have graced out establishment with my presence… ehh… yes… only myself. Please.” Yohane silently cursed that she had to keep her true identity concealed... when she wasn’t prepared … her speech wasn’t adapted to the human world.  
“Ehh... of course” the tall woman eyed her curiously, “this way.” She gestured with her arm and began to walk. Yohane quickly followed.

* * *

Some time, and some plates later, Yohane leaned back in her seat and let out a sigh of relief. The empty feeling of the void in her midsection had disappeared. The growling of the hellish beast had stopped too. Maybe this, she looked out over the empty plates, was something she had to do now on the regular, just to keep from falling into the void.

Satisfied, she stood up and walked over to the transparent walls, maybe she could do the same magic but before she could get near a voice behind her said:

“Please come to the counter to pay.”

Pay?

What was that?

Yohane looked quizzingly at the tall woman who’d spoken to her.

“Ehh?”  
“You need to pay for what you ate.”  
“What is that? _Pay_?”  
“What do you mean? You eat, you pay? I don’t understand the confusion.”  
“But what is it? _Pay_? I have no clue what it means.”  
“It mean to reimburse, to settle…” then came a slew of words Yohane didn’t understand,” That.”

Yohane looked blankly at her. The woman sighed.

“Wait here. What is you name?”  
“Yohane.”  
“(Foreigner)” the blonde mumbled and picked up a slab, tapped on it and held it to her ear.

“Yes hello? Do you have a maiden called _Yohane_ at your shrine? You do. No, no need to get her, she’s here. Ohh sorry, this is Ayase Eli from the restaurant Wagaranria. She seems to have forgotten her money or has no concept of what _pay_ means. You’ll send someone? Excellent. We’ll wait.”

She put the slab in her pocket. Odd. Did it have a dimensional rift that would spirit her words into another realm?

“Miss Yohane. Would you kindly wait here?” she pointed towards a stool at a counter, “Someone from the shrine is coming to pick you up and pay the bill.”  
“Oh? How do you know?”  
“I just spoke to them.”  
“I was right it is a portable rift.”  
“Excuse me?”  
“Ehh... no matter. I shall await them here.”

She sat down on the chair. Ayase placed a glass of water in front of her.

“Here. On the house.”  
“Gracious of you. Thank you.”

Minutes passed, guests came and left. Yohane stayed, her back to the transparent walls.

When they opened, she heard a sharp intake of breath from the tall woman that had come ot the chime.

“No---Nozomi….”

Yohane tuned around to see Nozomi’s unseeing eyes looking straight at Ayase, who seemed to try to hold back her tears.

“Hello… Eli---chi.”


	11. Chapter 11

Eli stared in shock at the face of her heartache. Nozomi’s face was the same that she remembered, the same she looked at every night, the face that made her heart ache and smile at the same time. But there was a difference.  
The beautiful sharp and dreamy green of her eyes had gone, replaced by a dull white, yet… Eli felt naked in front of her, as if Nozomi could see into her soul.

Nozomi quickly found _Yohane_ and efficiently extracted her and paid, lamenting the fact that the trainee had forgotten her money to Eli.

Eli’s mind was trying to process what she was seeing, what she was feeling, and it left in a bit of a daze.

Her thoughts always came back to Nozomi; what had happened? Why did her last message to Eli have such a finality to it? Why had she said it? And why did she the sight of Nozomi’s now dull white eyes unsettle her so and make her feel responsible. She wanted to know, had to know.

Finally escaping from her daze, Nozomi paid for the trainee and was about to leave.

“Non-tan…” Eli called after her. Nozomi stopped in her tracks but didn’t turn around.  
“Eli?” a hesitant voice replied.  
“Could I talk to you… please?”  
“I… I don’t…”  
“ _Please_.”

For the longest time, nothing happened.

“Elichi... I”  
“Just a few minutes.”

Eli could feel the tension, would Nozomi refuse and just leave or give her some time?

“Elichi… come to the shrine tonight. It should be safe enough now.”

_Safe?_

“I… I’ll be there.”

Without another word, Nozomi left, Yohane waving back at Eli who waved back until the glass doors closed behind them.

Her shift couldn’t end soon enough.

* * *

When Nozomi had seen into the restaurant her heart had dropped. With her vision she’d seen the one person she wanted to see most, but also to avoid for what price it may lead to be extracted. The only person that had ever truly touched her heart and soul, Ayase Eli. Yohane wasn’t to blame, though she might have to tell the fallen not to leave without her again, for she wasn’t ready to be alone in a world she barely understood.  
She had told herself that she would go in, get Yohane and get out, exchanging a minimum of words, her own words from so long ago still as clear in her mind as the day she’d said them. But the sheer sound of desperation and sadness in Eli’s plea had broken the last of her determination. She wanted to tell her everything, hold her all through the night, feel her breath on her neck but… she couldn’t. She wasn’t that person anymore; she couldn’t allow herself to be. But that voice…

When Eli had said her name, using the nickname only she and her parents knew, cracks had begun to appear in her determination, the plea had turned it to dust. And now there was no turning back. As she walked away with Yohane in tow, she tried to think of what she would say. She had a few hours to figure something out. She didn’t want to lie, but at the same time she wanted to protect Eli.

* * *

“She should be back soon, she’s on an errand getting one of the trainees that got into a spot of trouble.” the groundskeeper said to the ash blonde woman, “Why don’t you wait by her cabin? You see there? It’s the third one on your left. Has the name _Tojo Nozomi_ on the post.”  
“I will, thank you.”, Yō bowed and walked towards the cabin.

Yō sat down on a bench near the entrance but after a while, curiosity took hold. With the cabin empty and the curtains open, Yō peered into the space inside. Everything looked normal. Not like knew what how a home needed to be changed if the occupant was blind. Maybe familiarity was comfort?

“I guess I should be happy you’re not putting my home on fire with that intense stare.” Said a voice behind her.

Yō shrieked and jumped, turning around and crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“Now now… no reason to be scared.” Said the voice, coming out the mouth of a shrine maiden, her eyes in shadow, “Do you have business with Nozomi-chan?”  
“Nozomi... ah... yes. I wanted to talk to her about a dream I had… about… ehh… an angel that fell. Geez, I feel stupid now that I’m saying it out loud.”  
“Why? Is it not wonderful to have vivid dreams?”  
“Well, yes, but… I... well…” Yō blushed, “I’m sorry… I’ll just go sit on that bench over there until Tojo-san is back.  
“If that is your choice”, the maiden said and walked past Yō as she walked over the to the bench.

Behind her Yō heard the door to the cabin opening and turned around, but the maiden she’d just talked to had opened it and walked inside. Yō stood dumbfounded for a few seconds, staring at the door. The maiden then opened the door and said:

“Are you coming in then? I’ll make some tea.”

Yō stood agape.

“But… you… how…?”  
“Come in.”

Yō quickly entered.

* * *

When Nozomi with Yohane in tow had gotten closer to her cabin, the qi that Nozomi saw skulking around it felt familiar. After observing it for a few seconds, she thought it looked like the ferry captain but there was… something else. Something… else.

“Kami-sama, why don’t you talk go and talk to the groundskeeper? I think he should be able to explain to you what happened.”  
“But I…”  
“Kami-sama. Please”  
“Fine…”

* * *

“..so that’s it.” Yō concluded.  
“I see. How about you tell me what you didn’t tell me?”  
“Eh?”  
“Watanabe-san, you’re hiding something. It’s plain to see.”

_The blind do “seeing” jokes now?_

“I… eh… I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Yō squirmed.  
“And lying is bad.” from the arms of her robes, Nozomi drew a card and held it up to Yō, “Am I not right?”

Yō’s face turned red.

“I knew it, she or you did something, and _you_ can’t get it out of your system. And you want to help her.”  
“Of course.”  
“The forces you’re up against... do you know?”  
“Not really. But she’s in trouble. So, I gotta do something… right?”


	12. Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yo meets Nozomi, but who will Nozomi bring later.

Yō tried her best to seem confident, but this shrine maiden was scaring her. Maybe it was the knowing smile or the eeriness of her eyes not seeming to impair her perception, but she did not feel at ease.

“I’m not scary and I will not eat you so relax, Watanabe-san.” Nozomi said, her back turned to Yō, pouring tea.

Yō still felt nervous.

“How about this?” Nozomi said, putting down a cup in front of Yō, “You tell me what you remember happened and I’ll tell you how to find her. Sound good?”

The sightless eyes bored into her.

“Ehh… ok…”

Yō recounted her story, of how she had seen the lights in the sky and how _something_ had crashed onto the deck of the ferry.

“I… I remember thinking that what or who I saw was very beautiful and that it was a she… she then started to walk towards me… I heard some _voice_ in my head and.. ehh… then….” Yō felt herself getting very warm in the face, “she… for I saw it was a she… she… ehh… kissed me.”  
“Did she now?” There was a teasing quality to the maidens voice.  
“Sure it was unexpected and a little aggressive at first, but it got better. “Yō was tripping over her words, “A lot better, she went deeper, and it felt so amazing that I had to respond so I… ehh… kissed her back. It felt so wonderful… next thing I remember;I wake up in the hospital.”

The maidens unseeing eyes were fixed on her. The slight glow behind the blues had not escaped Nozomi.

_She has some of Kami-sama’s energy… I can see it in her…_

“There, I told you everything… now… can you help me see her, Tojo-san?” Yō’s question had a quality of panic to it.

She looked at the maiden. What was happening behind those white eyes?

“Wait here.”, the maiden said suddenly and walked to the door, opening it and closing it behind her. Yō heard rapid steps on the gravel and then silence.

_Guess I wait…_

* * *

_How dare this old human lecture me the great... great… me about such trivial matters. I am not from here, of course I would know nothing of their customs. When I have my powers back I’ll… I’ll… oh there she is._

“Kami-sama. There is something important I must ask you.”  
“The ask.” Yohane said as she came closer.  
“On the moving land, what did you do to the captain, Watanabe-san?”  
“I extracted information from her. Like how to speak your language. If your on about what happened…”  
“I’m not. How is this done?”  
“By using this, “she pointed at her tongue, “to probe the mouth, to pick up all the echoes of past words and feelings.”  
“And you did this to her?”  
“Yes.”  
“And what did she do?”  
“In the beginning nothing, then she began to take information from me that I wanted her to have.”  
“So she kissed you back.”  
“ _Kissed_?”  
“In the human world, the action you took is a matter of great intimacy.”  
“Oh?”  
“Yes, it is an action reserved for lovers.”  
“Ehh? But I… I thought… I… I.. ehh.”  
“You didn’t know.”  
“Well… it wasn’t… unpleasant. And she was pretty…”

_Her aura flared just now... could it be…_

“Do you want to see her again?”  
“Of course! We must embark on a quest to re-instate me!”  
“And what becomes of her then?”  
“She’s human, she can’t go where I belong.”  
“I understand.”  
“Do you know where she is?”  
“I do.”  
“I command you to take me to her… now!”  
“Of course, kami-sama.”

Nozomi took the fallen’s arm and led her to the cabin.

“These are your dwellings.”  
“She’s in here. But I must warn you.”  
“Warn me?” Yohane looked questionly at Nozomi.  
“She doesn’t understand it all… and I think she has formed a romantic connection to you.”  
“She will do her part and that’s it. She can’t go where I will be. It is that simple.”  
“Try to let her understand that.”

Nozomi open the door and stepped in, Yohane behind her, still unseen.

“Where do you go?” Yō asked, “I was wonder…”

Nozomi had take one step the left, revealing Yohane and now the fallen and the captain stood transfixed looking straight at each other.

“You.” They said in unison, unmoving.

To anyone but Nozomi they seemed just to stand and stare at each other. For Nozomi it was a lightshow of dancing energies, penetrating and surrounding them in a seemingly one-sided tug-of-war. And Watanabe Yō was losing.

**Author's Note:**

> A note on how the updates will work:
> 
> As I have some RL changes going on, my time to write has become quite limited, so instead of having long chapters that might materialize once a month, I'll opt to have small scenes that I can get done within a week or two and with luck maybe several scenes till come this way. 
> 
> Just to let anyone know.


End file.
